These Are The Most And Least Reliable Airlines To Fly

When it comes to flying, reliability is everything. To this day, I can still feel the seething frustration when Spirit Airlines cancelled my flight home for Christmas a few years back, offering me the option of either flying to Chicago after Christmas (a sin my family would never forgive) or renting a car.

Suffice to say, I ended up driving from New York to Chicago through the night in order to get home by the holidays. Lesson learned, I now pay extra for an airline that will get me to my destination.

Recently, UK medical travel insurance provider, Get Going, conducted research to determine the world’s most reliable and least reliable airlines to fly. Looking at factors such as percentage of delays, cancellations, safety rankings and delay waiting times, Get Going was able to rank the best airlines to fly and the ones to avoid at all costs. The results may actually surprise you as a few of our favorite air carriers were ranked least reliable.

For the most reliable, GoJet Airlines nabbed the number one spot with the lowest percentage of cancelled flights and the highest average customer rating. Major carriers such as KLM, Turkish Airlines, Emirates and Lufthansa also made the cut for most reliable with high safety ratings across the board and a lower than average percentage of delays.

For the least reliable air carriers, Air China was crowned the worst airline thanks to its low customer rating (a 4/10), average delay wait time (42 minutes) and high percentage of delayed flights (a whopping 72 percent). In a close second came Air Asia, while other budget Asian carriers such as Hong Kong Airlines and Hainan Airlines were included.

By far the biggest surprise in Get Going’s research is the inclusion of JetBlue, Air France and Virgin Atlantic on the least reliable list. These popular air carriers—particularly JetBlue and their low fare sales—tend to be fan favorites. According to Get Going, JetBlue has an average delay wait time of 70 minutes while nearly half of all Air France flights tend to be delayed.

Click here for the full list of most and least reliable air carriers.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

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